


My First Friend, My Enemy

by starcraft



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Dream Smp, Family Dynamics, Hamilton Lyrics, Hamilton References, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Major Character Injury, Phil has two dead sons, Songfic, Toby Smith | Tubbo-centric, TommyInnit-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starcraft/pseuds/starcraft
Summary: Tubbo, my first friend, my enemyMaybe the last face I'll ever seeIf I throw away my shot, is this how you'll remember me?Or; An AU where Tommy returns from his exile, and Dream demands a duel in order for him to stay.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 6
Kudos: 122





	My First Friend, My Enemy

_ One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine _

It had been a shock to them all. I mean, after being told by no one other than Dream, the person who kept an eye on him in exile the whole time he was there, that Tommy had towered up and jumped, what else would you expect? Certainly not for the person who was supposedly dead to roll up in the country that they were exiled from, fully well and alive. He was always unexpected, though.

_ There are ten things you need to know _

Tommy demanded to be granted access back to L’manburg, for Dream to leave them alone and stop acting like a tyrant. Tubbo was surprised that Dream hadn’t shot him on the spot, but he should have known better. He always had something up his sleeve.

_ We crossed the prime path at dawn _

“Alright. How about this, Tommy: If you win a duel, then I’ll allow Tubbo to unexile you.”

“And if I lose?”

“Then you die.” It was as simple as that. Tommy stood tall, thinking through the outcomes. The first time he had requested a duel, it didn’t end well. And this time, he had no lives left to respawn with.

“Deal.” Tommy was always unexpected. And Dream always had something up his sleeve.

“Good! Then you’ll duel against Tubbo.”

“What?”

“Hang on, that isn’t fair!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Quackity stepped forward, shouting. He was fed up with Dream’s bullshit. “What the hell, Dream?!”

“What? Don’t you want to at least give him a chance?” There was an obvious smirk behind his porcelain mask, the cocky bastard. “Come on now, you know that if he dueled me he would just die. I’m being lenient here. In fact, he should be grateful that he wasn’t dead the moment he stepped foot onto this land.”

“Very well.”

“Tubbo! You can’t do this--!”

“Enough, Niki. Dream, I consent to this duel.”

A shadow fell over his face, and although the smile on his mask didn’t move, it somehow appeared to be even more menacing.

_ My friend, Quackity signed on as my number two _

“Tubbo, man, you know this is a bad idea.”

“Well then what do you want me to do, Big Q?!” Quackity sighed, running his hand through his hair. “If I don’t do this, who knows what Dream will do? Do you want obsidian walls built around L’manburg again?!”

“Of course not! Just- you-” He punched the wall in frustration. “You both only have one live, Tubbo. One of you isn’t going to make it out of there alive.”

“Not unless you both aim for the sky.” Tubbo and Quackity both jumped, turning to face the door.

“Phil?” The man in question had a tense expression.

“If neither of you shoot at each other, then neither of you will have to die.”

“Phil, you know that Dream won’t allow that outcome.”

“How do you know that, Tubbo?”

“Would you like to find out, Big Q?”

_ Tommy arrived with his crew _

_ A mutual friend, Ranboo, and a doctor that he knew _

The three left the Camarvan, approaching the spot of the duel. Tommy approached from the opposite direction. Ranboo and Ponk walked on either side of him, both seeming to be nervous. Ranboo looked to be trying to talk Tommy out of it, but he was determined. He already had his mind made up long ago.

_ I watched Tommy examine the terrain _

_ I wish I could tell you what was happening in his brain _

Tommy looked around the surroundings; the home which he hadn’t seen in so long. He looked at the path, his home, the Power Tower—though he never looked directly at Tubbo.

_ This man has poisoned my political pursuits! _

Tommy had done nothing but cause problems for L’manburg. Yes, Tubbo realized after he exiled Tommy just how painful it was to banish his best friend, but it was still for the best of the nation. He didn’t  _ want _ to exile Tommy, but he had no other choice. Tommy didn’t give him any choice. No one respected him as president, and Tommy had made it evidently clear that he didn’t want Tubbo to hold that position.

_ Most disputes die and no one shoots _

One of them had to shoot. One of them had to die. It was impossible for this to end any other way, at least any way that didn’t result in death for both of them.

But did Tubbo really have that in him..? Could he shoot and kill his best friend, the first time he sees him since he’d banished him?

_ Tommy drew first position _

_ Looking, to the world, like a man on a mission _

Tommy had a plan for however this duel was going to go. He knew what he was going to do, and quite frankly that scared Tubbo. Tommy was always willing to do anything. But it was never about Tubbo. It was about the discs.

_ This is a soldier with a marksman's ability _

Tommy was a great shot, no doubt. Dream just so happened to be a better shot during the first time they’d dueled. Tommy was a fighter. Tubbo was not. Tommy wanted war. Tubbo wanted peace. They could not fulfill their wishes without them colliding.

_ The doctor turned around so he could have deniability _

Ponk wished him good luck, thanking him for signing their previous agreement that allowed Ponk to sell his ‘essential oils’ before walking off to the side along with the others who stood by to watch the duel.

_ Now I forgot this at the time _

_ But we were near the same spot where he (I) last died, is that why? _

Tubbo knew that they were at the spot of the original duel, but it hadn’t quite  _ registered _ yet. This was where Tommy died. Right where he stood, he had been shot by the hands of Dream, in order to gain independence for their nation. Their nation which was now stained by unimaginable amounts of blood and death.

_ He examined his gun with such rigor? _

_ I watched as he methodically fiddled with the trigger _

Tommy was nervous. If someone asked him, he certainly would never admit so, though Tubbo could tell. He supposed that was just one of the many things that were possible when you were dealing with your best friend. You knew small things about them in which sometimes they didn’t even know about themselves.

_ Confession time? here's what I got _

_ My fellow soldiers'll tell you I'm a terrible shot  _

Tubbo was never a fighter. Yes, he had been in countless wars and conflicts, though he had tried to turn that around for New L’manburg. Unfortunately, as soon as Tommy had stepped foot into George’s house, he ruined it for all of them.

_ Your last chance to negotiate _

_ Send in your seconds, see if they can set the record straight _

“Ranboo, you know that this isn’t going to go well.”

“I know! I know… I tried talking Tommy out of it, but he wouldn’t budge.”

“Do you know if he’s going to shoot?”

“He asked me. He said, ‘Do I shoot him, Ranboo, or do I aim for the skys?’”

“Well? What did you say?”

“I didn’t know how to answer. I told him to do whatever he feels that he should.”

“Goddamnit, Ranboo—”

“What?! I tried talking him out of it already, it’s not like he was going to listen to what I said anyways!”

“Yeah… The only way both of them walk away alive is if neither shoots.”

“...Let’s just pray for the best.”

_ They won't teach you this in your classes _

_ But look it up, Tommy was wearing his brother’s glasses _

_ Why? If not to take deadly aim? _

_ It's him or me, the world will never be the same _

Tommy wore Wilbur’s glasses, his eyes sharp and methodical behind the frames. What other reason would there be for him to wear them if he wasn’t planning on firing? In all honestly, Tubbo was scared. Here he was, faced off across his best friend, though he figured a long time ago that Tommy didn’t care about their friendship, or had at least abandoned it.

_ I had only one thought before the slaughter _

_ This man will not make an orphan of my country _

Tubbo had worked so unbelievably hard to build up L’manburg again. To make the people happy, and to keep peace. If he died, there was no telling what would happen to it. Even though Quackity was Vice President, he couldn’t take L’manburg--he was already president of El Rapids. The presidency would likely either go to Tommy or Dream, and if Tommy became president, L’manburg wouldn’t exist for much longer.

_ Look him in the eye, aim no higher _

_ Summon all the courage you require _

With a final breath, Tubbo looked Tommy in the eye and prayed for the courage to do what he felt was right for the nation. For the country he vowed to protect.

_ Then count, one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine, number-ten paces, fire! _

A shot fired.

_ I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory _

Tommy was always one to look death in the eye and challenge it. What other reason would there be for him constantly going into conflict, angering Dream time and time again. He remembers both of his deaths very vividly. The claustrophobia from the enclosed obsidian box which a traitor whom they trusted- who they thought was a  _ friend _ betrayed them. And the second, an arrow shot through his chest in one final attempt to gain freedom for the country which would protect his friends and those he held dear. That never stopped him from standing up for what he believed in and fighting things head on.

_ Is this where it gets me, on my feet, sev'ral feet ahead of me? _

_ I see it coming, do I run or fire my gun or let it be? _

Instead of sitting beside him on the bench watching the sun set, Tommy was now stood across from him, his best friend. Was this where it would finally end? Everything he had fought towards, was this how he went out?

_ There is no beat, no melody _

His discs. The thing which started all of these wars, the thing which was the only constant factor from the beginning, the thing that kept him somewhat sane through his exile, and the thing that represented his and Tubbo’s friendship.

There was no melody to help calm him. Just the tense silence as he stared off at who was once his closest friend.

_ Tubbo, my first friend, my enemy _

It was always him and Tubbo. From the beginning, it was him and Tubbo versus the world. They were two peas in a pod, stuck together like glue. Now, it had turned to this. Not just opposing each other, but holding guns to one another. When did things turn to this?

_ Maybe the last face I ever see _

It was always them from the beginning. It’s only fitting that it was them to the very end.

_ If I throw away my shot, is this how you'll remember me? _

Does he shoot him, or does he aim for the skys? The first duel, he shot at Dream. He lost. Would he face the same fate? Did he really want to go down in history as a coward? Someone who died in disgrace?

_ What if this bullet is my legacy? _

_ Legacy, what is a legacy? _

What would be his legacy? Would it be like his older brother, going from a respected leader to a power-driven insane man who blew up his once thriving nation and died before he could suffer the consequences of his actions? Or the one from the story of his other brother, a man who had slain the evil which terrorized his home, though was thrown out and died miserably?

_ It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see _

Tommy didn’t know about how Ranboo tended to the impromptu wheat farm he made with him every day since the start of his exile. Not only that, but he kept Tommy’s house underneath of his own exactly the way it was when he left, hopeful that he  _ would _ return one day. He just never expected for him to return like this…

_ I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me _

L’manburg’s national anthem. The anthem which spoke of there being a special place in which men could go and emancipate the brutality and the tyranny of their rulers. The start of this country, with Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, and fuck Eret. This country, a very big and not blown up L’manburg. Oh, L’manburg...

_ L’manburg, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me _

“If I can’t have it, no one can,” Will had said. “My great unfinished symphony, forever unfinished.” Those were his last words before he asked Phil, his father, to stab him with his sword and kill him in front of everyone, including his younger brother.

_ You let me make a difference, a place where even orphan immigrants _

_ Can leave their fingerprints and rise up _

In some ways, L’manburg had changed for the better. They no longer had to live in fear and keep citizens to only Europeans- now anyone was allowed in L’manburg! Though… Tommy still didn’t trust it. L’manburg was meant to be special, the name was made to sound European for a reason. If they let just anyone in, didn't that ruin the whole point of it?

_ I'm running out of time, I'm running, and my time's up _

_ Wise up, eyes up _

Tommy thought his time was up when he towered up on the hills next to the ruins of Logstedshire, looking down at the ground. He looked to the setting sun, the sun which called to him that it was setting on his time here in this world.

But no, he opened his eyes. Dream wasn’t his friend. Dream was never his friend. He was the only one who refused to give into what Dream wanted, and he was  _ scared _ of him because of that. Tommy’s time wasn’t up just yet, though it was still close.

_ I catch a glimpse of the other side _

_ Wilbur leads a nation’s chorus on the other side _

_ My brother is on the other side _

_ He’s with my mother on the other side _

Tommy hears Wilbur’s voice and the soft strum of his guitar. Not the Wilbur that went insane, not Ghostbur, but Wilbur. The same Wilbur whom he grew up with, the one who as a kid he would call “Wilby” and listen to his music, the Wilbur who he watched sparred with his twin, and the Wilbur who Tommy would watch as he dyed the hair of said twin and their oldest brother pink.

_ Schlatt is watching from the other side _

Tommy can feel the wrath of that wicked tyrant, even beyond death. In fact, he sees it when he looks at Tubbo. He’s standing behind him, a threatening hand around the back of his neck, controlling him, while the outline of horns grows from his head.

_ Teach me how to say goodbye _

_ Rise up, rise up, rise up, Philza! _

From the corner of his eye, Tommy could see Phil watching him with a feared expression. He had not only watched, but been the one who killed his son. Would he be able to sit there and watch as the life is taken from another? Would Tommy ever get the chance to say goodbye to him, unlike with Wilbur before he died?

_ My father, take your time _

_ I'll see you on the other side _

Tommy smiled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He would see Phil when his time was due.

_ Raise a glass to freedom _

Bittersweet memories of drinking apple juice in the Camarvan…

_ He aims his pistol at the sky— _

_ Wait! _

By the time Tubbo called out, it was already too late.

_ I strike him right between his ribs _

Tommy stumbles, clutching at where the arrow shot him with his free hand as the other held the bow aimed towards the sky. He smiles through the pain, seeming to be somewhat relieved.

He couldn’t shoot his best friend. He couldn’t do it.

_ I walk towards him, but I am ushered away _

“Tommy..? No no no, Tommy!” Tubbo dropped the crossbow, attempting to run towards him, though he was held back by Quackity and Fundy.

“Let’s go, Tubbo. It’s over.”

_ They lay him down across the prime path _

_ I get a drink _

_ I hear wailing in the streets _

Walking- actually, more so staggering towards L’manburg, Tubbo feels his heart pounding against his skull. He downs a healing potion which someone- he doesn’t remember who, pushed into his hands. People are shouting, shocked by the outcome.

_ Somebody tells me, "You'd better hide" _

Dream whispers in his ear, appearing out of practically nowhere. He’s like a devil sitting upon his shoulder. “I don’t think people are going to be very happy with you, Mr.President.”

_ They say Technoblade and Philza _

_ Were both at his side when he died _

Techno didn’t agree with Tommy’s ambitions at some times, though he was still his younger brother, for gods sake. He was left with Philza, who’d now had two of his three sons die in his arms, and was heartbroken.

_ Death doesn't discriminate _

_ Between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes _

Schlatt, Wilbur, and Tommy.

One who most certainly deserved the pitiful leave from the world which he received, one who was more questionable, and one who was still just a kid, whose life had barely even started yet.

_ History obliterates, in every picture it paints _

_ It paints me and all my mistakes _

From the beginning, the presidential position of L’manburg just seemed to destroy everything- almost as if it was a curse. Perhaps Techno was right all along in trying to destroy the government.

_ When Tommy aimed at the sky _

_ He may have been the first one to die _

_ But I'm the one who paid for it _

_ I survived, but I paid for it _

No one said it, but it was obvious the way everyone looked at Tubbo differently. Cautious side glances, or looks of pity for the kid who had to shoot his best friend. Ranboo was really the only one who continued to support him, knowing that Tommy wouldn’t have wanted the same thing to happen to him.

_ Now I'm the villain in your history _

“I’m not the villain, am I?” He had asked himself the night he exiled Tommy. “No… I’m still Tubbo.”

If he asked himself the same question now, he wouldn’t be so sure.

_ I was too young and blind to see _

Tubbo and Tommy were just two unfortunate souls, forced to grow up too quickly due to war and betrayal from those they idolized and looked up to. Both treated that differently, Tommy who wanted so desperately to hold onto the small piece of childhood they had left, the discs, while Tubbo looked forward in an attempt to take responsibility for what was forced upon him.

_ I should've known _

_ I should've known the world was wide enough for both Tommy and me _

_ The world was wide enough for both Tommy and me _

It was always them from the beginning. It was always about the discs- not the physical disc, but the thing which represented their friendship. It was always Tommy and Tubbo versus the world, versus Dream.

The world was wide enough for them both, though they didn’t realize that until it was already too late.

**Author's Note:**

> just a small note, I highly doubt anything would end like this. it would be a very unsatisfying ending, and it would kill off one of them in an unnecessary way. just an angsty idea I got and wanted to write :)


End file.
